


Mother Knows Best

by Falcolmreynolds



Series: Stories of the Wide Sky Clan [5]
Category: Flight Rising
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:07:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26973382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Falcolmreynolds/pseuds/Falcolmreynolds
Summary: Gallica is planning something.
Series: Stories of the Wide Sky Clan [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1768582





	Mother Knows Best

Darkness pooled in the edges of the halls. Gallica, in her shroud, stepped through the shadows, silent as always, invisibility wrapped around her like a blanket.

It was, as always, comically easy to sneak past the guard, who tonight was Voidwalker. He was barely paying attention; nobody ever came or went into the Deep Caves without permission, and rarely anybody went at all, so he had nothing to look out  _ for. _

Except for Gallica, who escaped his notice entirely.

She slipped through the tunnels and caverns and made it down to the lowest level of the Deep Caves. There, she knew, there was someone waiting for her.

Locked away in his own prison was her last son. Her youngest. The child who’d once been the only thing that could’ve held her and her mate together, and who now was an eternally sleeping monster, his many, many green eyes mostly shut. Gallica counted the steps; she could make it to his cell with her eyes closed, through all the twists and turns of the caves.

He may have been a monster, but he was  _ her _ monster.  _ Her _ son. He should have been  _ hers _ to raise, not trapped in this endless sleep.

Gallica rounded a corner and stopped in front of an alcove that was isolated far, far away from the other dragons of the Deep Caves. Here he was, splayed on the floor in the same position she’d placed him years ago, maturing so very slowly - never eating or drinking, nourished and sustained by magic alone. He was an adult, now. An adult dragon. And he’d never woken, not even once.

His coat was black, his belly a beautiful blue color, and his wings were a deep purple, even darker than Duskrunner’s wings. Just the  _ thought _ of her ex-mate made Gallica seethe in rage, but she calmed herself, looking over her son. She shed her invisibility - just on the off chance that her son could see her, in his dreaming state, with those many beautiful eyes of his - and stepped forward, up to the edge of the stasis cell.

“Hello, my son,” she hummed, in her native tongue. It was the only language she ever spoke to him in; he couldn’t hear her, so why bother using draconic? It’s not as if he understood it. “My dear son, who was so cruelly stolen from me. I’ve come to tell you again about my plans.”

Her plans. Gallica had plans, yes. She had been plotting for some time now. Her plans were coming together, slowly, steadily. She had pieces and parts arranged; now, she just needed a little more time, and exactly the right movements, and she would be able to finally free him. Finally, finally free him from the cage where he’d been locked for so long.

Yes. She would get him out of here.

“I’m going to save you,” she whispered, and as much as she wanted to raise a claw and press it to the barrier, she knew that if she did Myrial would know. Myrial, who hated upkeeping the damn thing anyway, but kept doing it, because it’s what  _ Duskrunner _ wanted, and it was what was ‘best for the clan’ or some nonsense.

Gallica snarled to herself. How did  _ she _ know what was best for the clan? Gallica knew what was best for  _ her son, _ and that was to be out, free, and back in her care. She could have raised him to be normal, to be good and kind and sensible, without any of that ridiculous ‘outer sea’ garbage happening. But she wouldn’t have been able to defend herself against all of them. She should’ve tried to escape - but there was no way out of that room -

No matter. She’d been over these thoughts a thousand times since his hatchday. She’d already analyzed everything, and there was nothing she could’ve done.

That was all past. Now was now, and now was when she had to act.

Well, in a manner of speaking. She had to act? She had to plan.  _ Then _ act.

She was getting ahead of herself. Gallica crooned softly through the shimmering surface of the barrier. “Soon,” she said. “I’ll have you free, my son. Soon. I’ll get you out of there. You never belonged in a cage.” She stared at his unmoving, barely breathing form, her eyes blazing, her expression stony. “If you cage a tiger, when he escapes, he’ll discover the power you kept from him all this time. So it will be too with you, my son. So it will be too with you. Just have a little more patience, and Mama will break that cage…”

Her son didn’t answer. Luna, she called him, in her mind, in her heart. He never had a name, but she called him Luna. For his beauty. For his knowledge. For his mystery.

“I’ll free you, Luna,” she told him, barely a whisper. “Just have a little bit more patience, sweet boy. Then you’ll be all mine, to love and care for.”

Yes, that’s what this was, wasn’t it? She was doing this out of love. She was doing this because she loved Luna. And not because of hate, or anger, directed at Duskrunner. Those, she certainly had - but love was the real reason for all of this. Yes. Love.

She sat there, staring at her son, until the anger in her heart calmed.

“There will be a panic,” Gallica said. “Oh, yes, a panic. And it will be terrible, and great, and in that panic, nobody will be watching for you. Myrial will be trying to use her magic, but it won’t work, no. It won’t work right, and she’ll be rendered useless. And then, when she’s not awake to pay attention, I’m going to put a hole through this barrier and get you out. And once you’re out, I’m going to take you somewhere safe, sweetheart. And then you’ll be safe. Yes, yes.” She nodded. “It’s almost ready. Almost time. You’re going to make it out just fine, Luna. Yes.”

She stood, nodded to her son, and stepped back.

“I’ll see you then,” she hummed. “I’ll see you soon. And  _ you’ll _ finally see  _ me. _ ”

With that, she turned and headed back down the hallway. Her plans were in place. She wrapped the invisibility around herself again and strode confidently past a half-awake Voidwalker, who didn’t even notice the dust stirring in her wake.  _ Pathetic, _ she thought, tossing her head.  _ He’d never notice me. Good thing, too. I’d say I hope he’s on guard in a few days, but when my plans are going along, nobody will be bothering to guard the Deep Caves. Not after I leave them a clear trail, and not after they know who’s responsible for the murder. They won’t even head this direction. They’ll hunt him down, and leave me to my own devices… _

Yes. Yes. This would work. She’d planned. She’d taken precautions, prepared well. Everything would go according to plan.

Luna would finally be hers, to raise, to train, to have. To love, of course. Gallica smiled. Her son, returned to her. Yes, to love. His size, and the strength he would have bearing Duskrunner’s genes, and the  _ brutality _ he could cause… those were all just bonuses, extra little things that only added to the appeal of rescuing him. She could keep a handle on him, she knew it; she could keep him under control, even if no one else could. She  _ knew _ it.

And then, once he was out and hers, well… she could finally leave this place. After watching and making sure Duskrunner was punished. She could take Luna and go, find somewhere else, where she’d be  _ appreciated _ . Yes, that’s what she was going to do.

Gallica smiled, and hurried away down the tunnels.


End file.
